Decrease in major crime is reported

Major crime decreased 2.5 percent in Westminster in 1994, city police reported, but total calls for assistance increased by nearly 10 percent over 1993.

"The department is pleased to show a decrease in [major] crime, when crime in other cities has continued to rise," said Capt. Roger Joneckis, administrative officer.

He attributed part of the decrease to increased foot patrols in many areas of the city, including Main Street.

One significant drop in violent crime last year was in the homicide category. Westminster had no murders in 1994, compared with three killings in 1993.

Police reported a 9.3 percent increase in the number of calls for general service, from 10,146 in 1993 to 11,098 in 1994.

"Our calls for service will continue to rise as we provide officers to open car doors when the driver has inadvertently left the key inside and numerous other noncriminal complaints," Captain Joneckis said. "Another facet of the additional calls are parking complaints.

"We see more vehicles in the city every year and it will continue to increase.

"When something wrong or unusual happens in the city, we are the first one they think of, we are the first one they call." he said.

Rape and robbery, however, increased. Six rapes were reported in 1994, compared with four in 1993 and 24 robberies were reported last year, compared with 19 the previous year, according to police.

Breaking and entering showed a decrease of 18 in 1994 from the 153 reported in 1993.

Auto thefts were up by one, 38 last year compared with 37 in 1993, and larcenies dropped from 752 to 748 last year.

Aggravated assaults dropped from 45 in 1993 to 36 in 1994, a 20 percent decrease, according to the report.

Minor crimes, such as assaults where no weapon was used, petty thefts and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, dropped from 1,636 incidents in 1993 to 1,532 last year, a decrease of 6.3 percent.